How to Plan Your Sustainable Washington Elopement & Leave No Trace

In a world where consumerism is so common, we often forget to mind our actions and recognize the impact we have on our planet. So thank you for choosing to elope sustainably! And congrats, by eloping, you’re likely already choosing a much more sustainable path than most large weddings.

Hi, I’m Cherlyn, a Washington Adventure Elopement Photographer who’s hiked thousands of miles and have been practicing Leave No Trace Principles for over a decade. I specialize in hiking elopements and can’t wait to share some of my favorite tips for having a more sustainable and environmentally friendly elopement.

There’s a few topics I’d love to touch on with you. Let’s go over the basics of Leave No Trace before diving deeper into what those sustainable choices can look like when planning your elopement including vendors, details, and more!

Leave No Trace Principles

If you’ve been hiking and recreating outside for a while, you’ll probably have heard of the 7 principles of Leave No Trace. And while LNT is a specific organization and the principles are not law, they are great guidelines to follow for best practices when we are on public land, whether it’s a state park, national forest, or even abroad in a UNESCO geopark or simply your local neighborhood park. By following Leave No Trace principles, we can be better stewards of the land that we and future generations get to enjoy. And by the way, you can still have a gorgeous, luxurious elopement by following Leave No Trace! Here’s the seven principles and how they might apply to your elopement:

1. Plan ahead and prepare: That’s why you’re here! To be on top of the planning. This also means applying for appropriate permits, knowing about specific park regulations and closures, understanding weather and proper preparation for your entire day
2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces: Yes, that means no frolicking in the meadows unless you know for absolute certainty that it’s allowed. I always encourage all my couples to stay on trails and durable surfaces like rock and sand. And for backpacking elopements, set up a tent on a pre-existing site when possible. Or perhaps, stay in a fire lookout??
3. Dispose of waste properly: aka the famous saying: Pack It In, Pack It Out. But it’s more to that. It’s not only picking up your trash and leaving with what you came with (don’t forget trash bags). It also means disposing of human waste properly, such as relieving yourself >200 ft from a stream or camp, bury your solid waste 6-8 inches deep, and especially do not leave toilet paper on the surface. As a photographer and hiker, I always carry toiletries just in case and make sure everyone knows where all the public toilets are before we head out on a hike.
4. Leave what you find: That cool rock or flower? Leave it. This is essential in preserving the land as it is — after all, we’re already disturbing it with our trails. Let’s minimize our overall impact on the wilderness! This also means not bringing seeded bouquets. We don’t want to introduce foreign species to the wilderness.
5. Minimize fire impact: This doesn’t usually apply to most of my eloping couples, but it’s also good to know if you’re planning to create a fire for a cozy elopement evening. I love a good camp fire too, but these should stick to pre-existing fire rings where permitted and scattering ashes when the fire is properly put out. I will stress that you need to make sure the fire is completely out! Sparks are how wildfires can start and not to be a downer, but sometimes our Washington summers are clouded by smoke and it’s really not the best (although I know where to go if that happens for your elopement).
6. Respect wildlife: Wouldn’t it be so cool to have your elopement visited by a cute guest? However, they are still wild, whether it’s a marmot, a squirrel, a deer or elk. So we should not feed them or approach them. Give them ample space if you must pass by on the trail — they like the trails too sometimes! If you’re eloping in a National Park or Wilderness Area, there’s restrictions on pets and dogs. It’s best to pick a different location if you want to bring your furry family to your elopement.
7. Be considerate of others: Yes, it’s your elopement day, but it’s also someone else’s vacation or quiet moments to be out in nature. If we’re playing music, we’ll play it quietly to not disturb nature or other hikers. We’ll keep to ourselves and limit how much of our gear gets spread around. Just be courteous and others will respect you the same. Usually other hikers are very kind and are cognizant when you’re dressed fancy for your elopement and automatically move out the way. But in no way can we force people to move for us.

Okay, now that we’ve briefly discussed the 7 principles of Leave No Trace, let’s talk further about what it means for your elopement.

Choosing Your Location with Intention

Okay, so with location, we’re talking about using places with low-impact intention and being able to follow regulations that best preserve the land and environment. As your elopement photographer, I can help suggest locations that fit both sustainability practices and your vision.

Pets

If you want to include your pet in your elopement, that’s awesome! I love animals, especially dogs. First, I’d highly recommend having a designated guest to help manage your pet(s). That way you can spend time focused on each other but still have time with your furry family. All National Park trails do not allow pets (support animals allowed). You can have them on pavement, but that is still quite limiting for a hiking elopement. If you have guests, a great way to still elope in a National Park like Mount Rainier is to have your ceremony close to a parking area and celebrate with picnic tables then have the afternoon through evening for a sunset hike just the two of you. Otherwise, I’d recommend eloping in a National Forest where there are generally no pet restrictions. Some areas like the Alpine Lakes Wilderness has regions (Enchantments and Lake Ingalls) that also do not allow pets.

Wildflowers

Wildflower season can be such a beautiful scene! I always make an effort to hike trails through wildflower meadows each year. In all the wildflower locations I’m aware of, none allow you to freely frolic through the meadows themselves. This is to preserve the meadows for other visitors. However, with some photography trickery, ahem angles, I can often get images that make it seem like you’re in the middle of the flowers. If frolicking is something you want to do, I know some spots that would be amazing for that on much more durable grassy meadows and on rockier surfaces to avoid trampling plants.

Snow

Okay for all my winter elopement couples, good news! Snow is one of the most durable surfaces. You can literally walk anywhere that would normally be prohibited. The world is yours to explore. Things to think about when planning a snowy elopement: footwear, clothing layers, car that can drive on snowy roads. Check out this Snoqualmie Valley Winter Elopement to see what a snowy elopement can look like!

Mountain views

When you’re optimizing for mountain views, do you want to be surrounded by mountains or do you want to stand on top and see the peaks at eye level? This could change the location you decide on. There’s just a small handful of drive-to locations with sweeping views and plenty more that have incredible mountain views from basins or lower elevation. Think about how to bring everything on the hike with you and how that might impact what your elopement decisions are.

Permits

This one is very important. Depending on the location you choose for your ceremony and say your vows, there might be permits to apply for. I work with all my couples to make sure that the permit application process is super streamline. Permits regulate how many couples can get married in a specific location, so you’ll want to apply early. Once you receive your permit, you’ll also get guidelines for how to respect the public land. Find out more on How to Elope Legally in Washington.

Wanting to find the perfect location for your Washington elopement?

 

 

Finding Eco-friendly Vendors

To build your sustainable elopement, choose vendors who also value Leave No Trace principles and being environmentally friendly. This might look like keeping things digital, sustainably sourcing ingredients and flowers and people who understand what it means to elope on public lands and you can rest easy knowing that your vendor team is there to support you while minimizing impact to the land. Here’s some of my favorite environmentally minded vendors:

• The Greatest Adventure Wed – planner
• Twisted Bramble – florist
• Little Joy Fleurs – florist
• Ginkgo Fine Dining – caterer
• Maggie Sottero – dress
• Blue Sky Bridal – dress

As a photographer, I follow Leave No Trace principles and follow regulations and guidelines pertaining to elopements and acquire all necessary permits and parking fees. It’s also my mission to ensure that all participants (couples, guests, vendors) also do their part in adhering to Leave No Trace principles. That’s why it’s part of my contract! To help us all be accountable for doing the right thing and loving our planet. I also use limited disposable gear when I photograph and if there’s ever anything I can help you bring and save you buying a single-use product, I’m here! Whether that’s a cake stand, changing tent, or lanterns, I’ve got your back.

Craft a Low-Impact Ceremony and Elopement Day

Okay now that you have the big ticket items down, let’s talk about your ceremony and elopement day itself. Obviously, it’s near impossible to be zero-waste but we can do our best! Here are some ideas to keep your elopement low-impact to the environment:

• Bubbles or biodegradable confetti –> if it doesn’t use non-native seeds
• Bring real silverware and plates for your picnic, cloth napkins instead of paper (plus they’re cuter)
• Use a picnic table instead of sitting in the meadow, or bring a blanket to cover a dirt patch within a meadow that you are allowed to sit on
• Choose local ingredients for your picnic. I love using PCC Community Markets and buying from farmers markets.
• Encourage guests to carpool, plus you save on parking fees. And minimize the driving distance to all your elopement day destinations. Consider getting a hybrid or electric car with 4wd/AWD.
• Re-useable decor or hire a planner that can reuse the items
• Bring a trash bag so it’s easy to pack it out

Other Ways to Incorporate Sustainability after your Elopement

After your elopement, you might have some extra things that you bought along the way to make your day extra special. Here’s some ideas to keep it sustainable after your elopement:

• Recycle your wedding outfit to a consignment store such as Brides for A Cause or Blue Sky Bridal. Rewear it for a reception or repurpose/dye it for other events
• Donate items you won’t need anymore – consider giving them away on your local Buy Nothing Group (Facebook)
• Compost any food scraps and florals
• Dry your bouquet upside down and preserve it. Or dry them between books and create a collage. Or dry them on a tea towel to make a pattern to commemorate your elopement day
• Use natural make up remover and cloth towels to clean your face
• Contribute to a stewardship organization or volunteer at your local park as a way to offset your impact

There’s just so many ways you can make your elopement more sustainable. And as a local Washington elopement photographer, I’m here to make your elopement planning as seamless as possible as you navigate the various choices you’ll make leading up to your elopement day. As you say your vows to devote your life to each other, let’s also make a personal promise to the land to protect and nurture it for future generations beyond ourselves.

Looking for next steps? Let’s start planning your sustainable elopement!